Never one to shy away from a challenge, Kyle Findlay opened his first store within his first three months as district manager, and his second store during a pandemic. For the latter, he hired staff and coordinated orientation, training, stocking shelves and merchandising, as well as the grand opening, all while complying with COVID-19 provincial health protocols.

An employee with Food Basics since 1998, Findlay has held a variety of positions, from department head to grocery specialist and even HR manager. As a result, he has a keen sense of the business from a variety of perspectives and has been lauded for his ability to identify issues and resolve conflicts. Since becoming district manager in 2019, he has become a true advocate for training and development, promoting numerous employees and developing a training program for assistant managers to further develop their skills.

“In my role overseeing multiple stores, I can make a difference in morale and in pushing my teams to do better,” he says. “I love being there for my managers in helping them achieve results—we hit our targets and, more importantly, our customers are happy.”